Creative Writing > Essays. These thesis statements offer a short summary of “The Minister's Black Veil” in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course , free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them for your essay. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of important.">

Literary Analysis Essay On The Ministers Black Veil Analysis

Below you will find three outstanding thesis statements for “The Minister's Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne that can be used as essay starters or paper topics. All five incorporate at least one of the themes found in the text and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. These thesis statements offer a short summary of “The Minister's Black Veil” in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them for your essay. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of important quotes from The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel hawthorne, you should have no trouble connecting with the text and writing an excellent essay.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's “The Minister's Black Veil” there are many secrets, many dark areas, both literal and metaphorical. These secretive aspects are not centered just on the minister himself, but on all the people in the quiet town. This is evidenced by their reaction to his sermons about secret sin and while the argument could be made that their discomfort is the result of the unsettling presence of the veil itself, an argumentative essay on “The Minister's Black Veil” could also suggest that, as the Minister himself suggests, all people in the town are guilty of secret sin. For this essay, explore the nature of secret sins throughout the story. For an added challenge, in your thesis statement, do not even discuss the Minister (he is worth an essay alone) but instead look the Puritan community and its relationship with the concept of darkness and sin. For help with this essay idea, look to the last quote at the bottom of the page that begins with “in the veil's gloom” and consider the ways the townsfolk's “true” natures are brought out by the presence of a man who himself may be guilty of a secret sin.

In this story, much like other works by Nathaniel Hawthorne (most notably The Scarlet Letter, Young Goodman Brown, and the Birth-Mark, to name a few) the Puritan community itself is one of the most vital “characters” presented. Because Hawthorne paints these Puritan towns with such homogeneity (notice how all the townsfolk have the exact same reactions and thoughts to nearly every situation) the reader gets the sense that this is, of course, a very tight-knit community, but one that, as a result of their closeness, becomes incredibly closed-minded. While this is especially true in The Scarlet Letter (and it would make for a great comparison or compare/contrast essay on the two) it is worth looking at the way the townspeople are, in themselves, the central character of the story as well as the “setting” and motivating force. Keep in mind that the community creates the conflict in this story—it is this pressure that creates the tension. Along these lines, your essay on “The Minister's Black Veil” should look at “communal” reactions and should evaluate how these influence the story and, if you have room in your conclusion, a reader's perception of this historical period and culture. A good starting point for this statement (or a way to narrow it down for something shorter) would be to look at the Puritan's superstition, for example, and how this is a community-wide response to the Minister's mysterious choice to don the black veil.

Like many other works by Nathaniel Hawthorne, this story is heavily reliant on symbols as narrative devices. There are many to choose from, including the color black, for instance, The most obvious (and easiest to write an essay about because there are numerous directions you could go) symbol is the veil itself. The black veil is a symbol for many different aspects in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story. For this essay, pick one function of the veil and devote a few paragraphs to its extended meaning. For example, the black veil can mean “veiling” one's eyes against reality, covering the face in shame, a desire to see the world through a darker lens, and of course, as the minister says, it is a symbol of secret sin. For this essay on “The Minister's Black Veil” use this (or another) symbol and close with an argumentative conclusion in which you discuss how symbols, as opposed to pure narrative action, create meaning in this story.

When writing critically about a work of literature, especially for an academic setting, many instructors will not condone your use of pure speculation without textual support. This is being mentioned now because a favorite topic of debate in essay form is devoted to wondering if the Minister donned the veil because he hader. Adult relations with the dead girl's body (or another woman). While this is fun for class discussion, there is very little textual evidence to support this. And okay, the writer of this PaperStarter thinks it's a moot point not worthy of scholarly debate. There you have it. Any notions to the contrary are welcomed by emailing PaperStarter.

The presence of symbolism also aides in the conveyance of the recurring themein the story: hidden sin. It is this very point that Hooper is trying to make when he firstwears the veil. While on his death-bed, Hooper remarks that he should only be deemeda monster for wearing the veil only when man no longer hides his sin. Through thisstatement, he finally reveals the meaning of the cloth he wears; it represents those evildeeds men have hidden deep inside, away from the visible world. Supporting this,Sarah Wright remarks, “The veilbecomes an emblem of the passion for concealmentthat afflicts all humans to a greater or lesser degree” (Wright ). With his last spokenwords, Hooper emphasises that everyone has a form of secret sin. He says, “[He looks]around [him] and lo! on every visage a black veil” (Hawthorne ). This was Hooper’slegacy, to prove that even though they do not wear a black veil, everyone has doneevils of the darkest nature, known only by God and themselves. The symbol of his veil isthe focal point of the theme and plays a part in contributing to the Puritan woaknb.wz.skh the use of symbols, Hawthorne exhibits the Puritan attitude towardchange in his story. At this period in time, those belonging to the Puritan religion werenot exactly prone to abandoning tradition. An old woman in the story states, “He haschanged himself into something awful, only by hiding his face” (Hawthorne ). Her statement is a perfect example of how behaving in an even slightly unorthodox manner was heavily frowned upon by the Puritans. At one point in the story, the narrator reflectsthat, out of all the busybodies and impertinent people, no one dared ask Hooper abouthis veil. The narrators description of the people’s judgemental nature, especiallytowards the veil, strengthens the Puritan atmosphere and contributes to the setting.